Insulation or covering



Aug. 10, 1937. J. T. MANSFIELD 2,089,909

INSULATION OR COVERING FiledNov. 27, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORATTOR NE! I I I mvENT 25;, BY Wkwfi J. T. MANSFIELD 2,089,909

INSULAIION OR COVERING Aug. 10, 1937.

Filed NOV. 2'7, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 10, 1937UNITED STATE.

ATE? @FFIQE INSULATION R COVERING 1 Claim.

This invention relates to insulations, more particularly to fabricatedunits for insulating pipes, and has for an object to provide insulationof this character for hot or cold pipes, ice water pipes, brine pipes,or any other pipe, and which will be sound-proof, which will eliminatethe use of canvas covering and the painting of the same, which will beinexpensive to install, inexpensive to manufacture, and may beinstalled. in minimum time and with minimum manual labor.

A further object is to provide fabricated units comprising sections eachincluding an inner core and an outer shell spaced apart to provide anair space between them, both the core and the shell being faced withaluminum sheet metal facings which are corrugated, indented, orotherwise deformed beyond a plain surface so as to provide additionalinsulating air spaces within the structure.

A further object is to provide a fabricated unit in which the twosections will be hinged together by thealuminum facing of both the outershells, said facing also projecting beyond one of the shells to form aflap which overlaps and is cemented to the facing of the other shell toseal the joint between the shells there being a metal tie strapconcealed between'the outer facing of both shells and provided at oneend with an eye through which the free end of the strap is looped beforethe flap is cemented down in order to tightly bind the sections of theunit upon the pipe and permit of the operator using both hands to cementthe flap, thus promoting speed in installing the insulation and cuttingdown the cost of installation.

A further object is to provide fabricated units in which the basematerial of the core and the shell may be stiifened by silicate of sodato render it water-proof and stiff and rigid, the same cement being alsoused to adhesively secure the facings to the core and to the shell ofeach section, thus the fabricated unit will be impervious to moisture.

With the above and other objects in View the invention consists ofcertain novel details of construction and combinations of partshereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood thatvarious modifications may be resorted to within the scope of theappended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of adjoining units constructed inaccordance with my invention applied to a pipe, portions being brokenaway to expose the component parts.

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken through thefabricated insulating unit applied to a pipe.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the units showing the sectionsopen to facilitate application to the pipe.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the fabricated insulatingunits.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional view with parts in elevation,showing a modified form of the invention.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a modified form of the invention usedfor insulating high or low pressure steam pipes.

Figure 7 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 'll of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a cross sectional view of another modified form of theinvention used for insulating low pressure steam pipes.

Figure 9 is a side elevation of an elbow constructed in accordance withthe invention.

Figure 10 is a cross sectional view through a modified form of theinvention used for insulating cold Water pipes.

Referring now to the drawings in which like characters of referencedesignate similar parts in the various views, Ill designates channeledmating sections of the insulating unit. Each section is provided at oneend with a channeled tongue l I and at the opposite end with an arcuaterecess I2, to interfit with complementary parts on adjoining units andlock the units together at their meeting ends as will be understood.

Each section Iii comprises an inner core l3 which may be formed of wiremesh, felt, asbestos, paper treated with silicate of soda or othercement to make it water-proof and stiff. An outer shell I4 is disposedconcentric with and spaced from the inner core to provide an air chamberlfi'between the core and the shell. The shell also, like the core, maybe formed of any or all of the above mentioned materials to provide arigid water-proof structure. The core is provided with inner and outerfacings I6 and ll of sheet metal, preferably aluminum foil of the typecorrugated, indented, creased or otherwise deformed to provide a myriador labyrinth of air cells. Likewise the outer shell is provided withinner and outer. facings l8 and IQ of the same aluminum foil justdescribed and in the present embodiment the inner facing I8 is shown asbeing deformed quite extensively to provide flutings, open pleats orsimilar large corrugations V labyrinth of air cells is in of both matingsections ii! of the unit register when the sections are closed upon thepipe 22 and permit inter-communication between the air spaces of bothsections of the unit.

The outer facings of the shells of both sections are integrallyconnected at the longitudinal edges of the shells as shown at 23 to forma hinge which secures the sections together and permits of the sectionsbeing spread apart as shown in Figure 3 to be applied to the pipe 22.The outer facing of one of the shells is continued beyond the shell toform a flap 24 which may be'adhesiVely secured to the outer facing ofthe mating section when the sections are closed upon the pipe, as shownin Figure 2, and seal the joint between the sections. 7

A tie strap 24 is concealed between the outer facings of the shells ofthe sections, one end of the strap being equipped with an eye 25. Whenthe sections are closed upon the pipe 22 the free end of the strap maybe passed through the eye and looped back upon itself so that the strapwill hold the sections clamped to the pipe. The operator then may haveboth hands free to cement the flap 2 3 in place. i

In Figure 5 there is shown a modified form of the invention, in whicheach section comprises a core 23 having outer and inner facings 21 and28 of sheet aluminum. The core as above explained' may be formed of anysuitable insulating material and is preferably water-proofed andstiffened by means of silicate of soda, which substance may alsoeffectively be used as a cement for cementing the facings on the core.

A shell 29 is spaced from the core and is disposed concentricallytherewith to provide an air space 3!) between the core and the shell.The shell is formed of the same insulating material as the'core. Innerand outer facings 3| and 32 of sheet aluminum are cemented to the shellpreferably by silicate of soda. A deformed aluminum sheet 33 is securedto the inner facing of the shell and this sheet may have longitudinalconvolutions, pleats, or folds or may be otherwise constructed toprovide longitudinal air channels between the core and the shell.

A plurality of sheet aluminum tubes 34 are disposed to extendlongitudinally of the outer facing Z'i'of the core, and these tubes areprovided with perforations 35. A housing 36 formed of an aluminum sheetis disposed in the air space between the core and the shell and embracesall of the tubes 34. The tubes and the housing coact in forming alabyrinth of air cells in the section between the core and the shell andthis 7 communication with the air space Sitthrough openings 31 formed inthe end tubes of the series of tubes. Other openings 38 formed in saidend tubes establish communication between the air spaces 30 of bothsections of the unit as well as between the labyrinth of air cells ofboth sections of the unit.

.In the modified form of the invention shown in Figure 5 the sections ofthe unit are equipped with a metal tie strap 39' for clamping thesections to the pipe and also the outer facing of one of the shells isextended to provide a flap 4!) which may be overlapped upon the facingof the mating section and cemented thereto to seal the joint between thesections as above described.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figure 6 the shell 39 andthe core ii! are formed of any suitable insulating material and theconnecting webs 4! are perforated as shown at 42 to provide circulationin the spaces between the core and shell as previously described so thattemperature equalization may take place longitudinally of the insulatingconduit as previously described. In this modification of the invention acorrugated roughened or otherwise deformed aluminum sheet is disposed onthe inner surface of the core and the ends thereof carried across theopposing faces of the terminal webs of each half section of the unit asshown at 44 and 45 in Figure '7. The outer surface'of the shell is facedwith sheet aluminum 46 throughout the entire superficial area of theshell. Thus there is an aluminum facing both inside and outside theinsulating unit. In practice it has been found that an insulating unityof this type'may equally well be applied to both high and low pressuresteam pipes. Tie straps 46 of conventional type may be secured atintervals to the outer surface of the shell to hold the two matingsections of the shell closed upon the steam pipesto be insulated. r r WIn Figure 8 there is shown still another modification of the invention,in this instance, the shell M and the core 48 being similar inconstruction to the modified form shown in Figures 6 and 7 but withthefollowing difference, the sheet aluminum 49 is only used as a facing forthe inner face of thecore and for the terminal webs 50 of the halfsections of the unit as shown at 5!. The half sections of the unit inthis embodiment are held assembled upon the pipe by a wrapping offabric52 lapped and cemented at the edges as shown at 53. Thismodification of the invention is found particularly well adapted forinsulating low pressure steam pipes.

The elbow 54 shown in Figure 9 is formed of a core 55 of suitableinsulating material and both the inner face and the outer face of theelbow are faced with sheet aluminum as shown at 56 and 57, the sheetaluminum being continued over the end edges of the elbow as shown at 58.The elbow is formed of two mating half sections which are enclosed uponthe pipe to be insulated by conventional tie straps 59. V

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figure 10 the sheetaluminum facing may be dispensed with, this modifiedform including anouter shell 63 and an inner core 65 connected to gether by webs 52 whichare provided with perforations 63 to equalize temperature throughout theinsulating spaces between the core and the shell. The unit is formed oftwo mating half sections which may be closed upon the pipe to beinsulated by a fabric strip 64, the ends of which are lapped andadhesively secured together as shown at 65. This form of the inventionis particularly well suited for insulating cold water pipes. The coreand the shell are of substantially equal thickness and are spacedradially apart a distance greater than the thickness of either the shellor the core to provide arcuate insulating spaces of about a quadrant inlength.

Whenever in the specification sheet aluminum is mentioned it is intendedto include aluminum foil and to be interpreted as being synonymous withaluminum foil or other relatively thin flexible sheet aluminum.

Also whenever in the specification the word sheet is used it is intendedto include one or more sheets, and extend to the use of blocks of thematerial, for the purpose of accommodating the invention to any degreeof heat to be insulated against, and to accommodate the invention foruse in tanks and boiler walls.

From the above description it is thought that the construction andoperation of my invention will be fully understood without furtherexplanation.

What is claimed is:

A pipe insulating unit comprising channeled mating sections each havingan inner core, an

outer shell spaced from the core, metal facings of sheet aluminum on theinner and outer surfaces of the core and the shell, a plurality oflongitudinally extending tubes of sheet aluminum in the space betweenthe core and the shell, a housing of sheet aluminum disposed to bridgeall of the tubes, said tubes being perforated transversely, said tubesand said housing forming a labyrinth of air cells in the space betweenthe core and the shell, a metal tie strap concealed between the shellsand the outer facings of the shells for clamping the mating sectionsaround i the pipe, and a flap integral with the outer facing of one ofthe shells adapted to overlap and be adhesively secured to the outerfacing of the 15 other shell to seal the joint between the sections.

JAMES T. MANSFIELD.

